1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to gaming machines, such as slot machines, xe2x80x9cPachi-Sloxe2x80x9d machines, video poker machines, or similar systems that have a variable display for displaying a plurality of variable symbols that are necessary for playing a game, and a controller for controlling variation in the action of the variable display, such as a microcomputer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A gaming machine such as a slot machine or xe2x80x9cPachi-Sloxe2x80x9d machine usually has a variable display that is mechanically consisting of a plurality rotating reels, each provided with a plurality of symbols on peripheral surfaces thereof, and arranged in a display window located at the front of the machine. Alternatively, a variable electrical display is configured to illustrate reels with symbols on a screen. In response to a start operation by a player, the controller drives the variable display device to initiate rotation of each reel and to stop the rotation of each reel automatically in a determined order after either expiration of a predetermined period of time or in response to a stop operation by a player. When the rotation of all reels stops, with a specific combination of symbols (winning pattern) being shown in the display window, the player is given an award in the form of a payout of gaming media, such as coins.
In a slot machine, a win, which is represented by a winning combination of symbols being positioned to line up along an effective line on the top of the display portion when rotation of the reels stops, occurs only when a win has been internally determined by the gaming machine. In practice, this occurs when a sampling operation of a random number by a microcomputer has determined a win.
It is, however, a problem with known slot machines that an expert player will eventually lose the desire to play the game. Since winning or losing is determined by an internal procedure of the gaming machine, the game becomes monotonous and the player loses interest.
On known approach to maintaining player interest in playing the gaming machine is to provide a further game on the same gaming machine, the further game being different from the primary game and displayed on another display device. One example of this arrangement is described in Japanese Patent Application Kokai (Laid-Open) No. 61-113488 which discloses a slot bingo game machine wherein numeral displays of the slot game are used as selection numbers of a xe2x80x9cbingo game.xe2x80x9d In this manner, the intensity added by the bingo game played enhances the slot game.
In this known arrangement, however, the slot game is used as a mere additional function to the bingo game in the gaming machine disclosed in the above reference, and therefore, the problem of eventual monotony with the gaming machine is not overcome. In addition, the display of the bingo game is fixed and less variable than that of the slot game. Moreover, variation in the display of the bingo game occurs only when the predetermined symbols become aligned on a predetermined line of the variable portion of the principal display. Therefore, the maintenance of player interest in the gaming machine has not been improved by the known arrangement.
An object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that can extend a chance at an award to a player by providing a secondary game that is different from the principal game. The secondary game is started in response to the information displayed by the variable display device when the variable display is stopped such that the principal game and the secondary game relate to each. Thus, the player""s interest level in the game will be increased.
According to the present invention, a gaming machine is provided with a variable display device for variably displaying a plurality of symbols necessary for a principal game, a controller for controlling variable action of the variable display, and a secondary display for being possible to display optional images. The images displayed on the secondary display are necessary for the secondary game different from the principal game performed by the variable display, wherein the images displayed by the secondary display are determined in relation to the displays when the variation in the variable display is stopped.
For example, preferably, the secondary game becomes xe2x80x9chitxe2x80x9d (e.g., completion of a bingo tile) when a plurality of predetermined symbols are aligned in a particular direction or a plurality of predetermined symbols are displayed in all of the predetermined positions on a display screen of the secondary display, whereupon a predetermined award is given to the player.
The secondary display may include electric displays such as liquid crystal, CRT, and LED, display arrangements, as well as mechanical displays, such as a rotating reel structure of the type that is used in conventional slot machines. Therefore, the images displayed by the secondary display may be distinguished from each other by using various kinds of characters and figures, animations, flashing lights, and the like, as well as symbols and patterns displayed on the surfaces of the rotatable reels.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the secondary game is started in the secondary display when specific symbols are displayed in predetermined positions when the variation in the variable display device is stopped.
The variable display includes, in certain embodiments, a plurality of movable display portions that movably display a plurality of symbols in the vertical direction, the movable display portions being disposed parallel to each other in side-by-side arrangement. The secondary display has a display screen that displays a plurality of blocks corresponding to symbol display positions when each of a plurality of movable display portions is stopped. Also, the variable display device may include a plurality of display portions disposed parallel laterally side-by-side that display a plurality of the symbols. The secondary display has a display screen that displays a plurality of blocks that are arranged parallel to each other and side-by-side so as to form a group. The displayed blocks are arranged to correspond to each position of a plurality of the display portions. A plurality of such groups is vertically arranged on the display screen.
The secondary display, in one embodiment of the invention, displays symbol images that are identical to predetermined symbols in the blocks that correspond to the display positions of the predetermined symbols on the display screen every time the predetermined symbols appear at the time the variable display is stopped and after starting the secondary game. The secondary display does not display other symbol images when the symbol images have already been displayed in the block.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined symbols that appear on the secondary display are selected from the plurality of symbols of the principal display.
The gaming machine can reward the player when the display screen satisfies a predetermined end condition. The various awards that can be provided to a player are different from each other depending on kinds of the predetermined symbols. The predetermined end condition corresponds to the condition in which the predetermined blocks of the display screen display the predetermined symbol images.
In some embodiments of the present invention, the controller executes a resetting procedure to return the display screen to an initial screen after the display screen satisfies the predetermined end condition. The resetting procedure may include clearing all of the symbol images displayed in the blocks on the display screen or displaying the symbol images in optional blocks after clearing all of the symbol images.
According to the present invention, it is easy to adjust the probability of winning and the allotment of the profit throughout the game by adjusting a frequency of appearance of the particular symbols necessary for the secondary games that are displayed in the variable display when the principal game is in progress.